Brandy: A Link to Logan's past?
by skye-hunter
Summary: Originally "Tyger: A Link to Logan's Past" but now renamed and finished - Thinking of doing a sequel (maybe even a series) let me know... ; - )
1. Meet Brandy

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men because if I did I'd be rich. However, I do own the character Brandy/Tyger - I made her up, please don't use her without my permission. But if she reminds you of anyone, living or dead, factual or fictional, it is purely coincidental and I apologize for any stress it may cause you... Now, on with the story...  
  
  
Logan turned into the closest bar he could find; he needed a drink. He had been searching for any hint of his past for years and had followed every lead, but to no avail. For now Logan was done traveling across the world looking for his past, he just wanted to relax and enjoy himself.  
Logan looked around for somewhere to sit down. It was then that Logan noticed that this was not a bar but a dance club with, of all things, a mutant theme. He didn't mind though, he could probably blend in better and still have his drink. He decided to grab a small table near the door - just in case anything did go wrong; or if the techno music and strobe lights became too much for his head, and stomach, to handle.  
Logan looked over at the dance floor and into the crowd of dancers. They were all pretty young, in their teens and twenties, and they were all costumed to look like mutants - or at least the general publics idea of a mutant.  
"So, what can I get cha?" asked a young, feminine voice.  
"Beer," responded Logan, not bothering to look up.  
"Well, what kind, sir?" further inquired the voice in a bit of a condescending manner.  
Logan was getting annoyed, and fast. He looked up to see about two miles of leg, six inches of skirt, a flat as a pancake stomach, two C cups, and a 20-year-old's face. But there was something different about her face, something Logan couldn't quite put his finger on. Then he saw it, clear as day, her face had an animalistic look to it. She had pointed ears, bright violet eyes, and when she smiled at him Logan could see that her canine teeth did indeed look canine in nature. Could she, in reality, be a mutant?...  
"Sir?" the girl called to Logan, a bit concerned now about the seemingly distracted man, "Are you okay?"  
"Wha...yeah," Logan said, quickly snapping out of his thoughts, "umm...just get me whatever's on tap, okay?"  
"Sure thing," the young woman replied, smiling with her fangs shining and magnetic purple eyes glowing. She turned and headed towards the bar thinking about the strange new man sitting in the back of the club. She had seen many different kinds of people, but none so calm and yet so utterly aware of his surroundings at the same time. Although she was certain she had never met him before in her lifetime, the young woman found this man oddly familiar.  
"Jac, get me a glass of whatever we have on tap," the girl called to the bartender.  
"Sure thing, Brandy," called back a feminine voice, "Hey, who is that guy?"  
"Don't know," replied Brandy looking over at Logan who was now puffing on a cigar. Brandy continued to watch him until her turned her way and smiled, "never seen him before."  
"Pretty good lookin' if you ask me," smirked the dyed-pink-haired, blue eyed Jac as she passed the beer to Brandy.  
"Hey, to bad no one asked you," Brandy called back with the freshly poured beer already in hand.  
Logan puffed on his cigar and watched the young woman head towards him with the beer. And the closer Brandy got to the table the more attractive Logan found her - there was a cat-like slink in her walk and a sexy, sophistication glaring through her fiery violet eyes. Logan had a feeling that there was more to this girl than meets the eye.  
"Here's your beer, sir" Brandy said teasingly with a smile when she reached Logan.  
"Don't you find it odd that you can serve yerself?" commented Logan still puffing on his cigar.  
Brandy stopped for a moment and thought about what this strange, sexy, cigar-smoking man had meant, "You mean because my name is Brandy," she decided this time she'd have a little fun with him, "Is that really the best you could come up with after spendin' the entire time sittin' here?"  
Loan smiled at Brandy as he locked eyes with her. Brandy let out a laughing sigh and leaned over Logan to place the beer on the table. It was then that Logan noticed small scars in between each of her main fingers, three in all.  
"What happened?" asked Logan as he reached for her hand. Brandy immediately tensed her entire body, but it was too late...  
Schink! Out popped three sharp metal claws, each about a half a foot in length. Logan moved his hand out of the way just in time. The beer glass shattered into a thousand pieces, spilling the beer all over the table. Brandy's eyes widened in fear, she had been found out...exposed. Logan's eyes widened in surprise, he had a feeling that she was a mutant...but not like him. Schinnk...the claws slowly retracted, as if embarrassed.  
"Ummm...I'm sorry about that. I'll get you another one, on the house," Brandy said, clearly very nervous and choosing to ignore what had just happened.  
"No...no, it's alright. It wasn't yer fault," Logan replied trying to make sure the young woman knew he wasn't upset or angry.  
"Let me go get something to wipe this mess up. I'll be right back," Brandy replied anxiously while still attempting to remain pleasant.  
As Brandy left for the bar Logan looked at the broken glass and beer splashed all over the table. It was then that Logan noticed there were small drops of blood on the table. He tried to remember if they had been there earlier and he just hadn't noticed them. But when Logan touched one of the drops with his finger, it was still wet.  



	2. Trying to Connect

  
Brandy returned a moment later with a hand towel and a small garbage pail. She quickly swiped the table clean, letting all the glass and beer flow into the pail. She then put the pail down and gave the table a few rubs to make sure it was dry. Brandy then turned and gave Logan a friendly smile, partially in hope that Logan wasn't upset and partially to calm herself down.  
"When do you get off of work," Logan inquired, lowering his voice slightly so that only Brandy could hear, "I wanna talk to you about yer claws."  
"Look, I don't want any trouble. If you want another waitress that's fine," Brandy quietly stated curtly, quickly becoming defensive and slightly forceful. Logan had a feeling that if he didn't respond just right, he'd be in big trouble.  
"I didn't say I wanted another waitress, I said I wanted to talk to you about yer claws," Logan replied calmly, "Now, are you bleeding?"  
"No, not any more," Brandy replied, letting her guard down only slightly - this man seemed genuine and sincere in his questioning, "I never bleed for very long. I get off in about an hour so, if you really want to talk, just wait here."  
"Sounds good to me," Logan said with a smile.  
"When do you get off of work," Logan inquired, lowering his voice slightly so that only Brandy could hear, I wanna talk to you about yer claws.  
"Look, I don't want any trouble. If you want another waitress that's fine," Brandy quietly stated curtly, quickly becoming defensive and slightly forceful. Logan had a feeling that if he didn't respond just right, he'd be in big trouble.  
"I didn't say I wanted another waitress, I said I wanted to talk to you about yer claws, Logan replied calmly, "Now, are you bleeding?  
"No, not any more," Brandy replied, letting her guard down only slightly this man seemed genuine and sincere in his questioning, "I never bleed for very long. I get off in about an hour so, if you really want to talk, just wait here."  
"Sounds good to me," Logan said with a smile.  
  
An hour later...  
  
"Let's go."  
Logan looked and saw Brandy standing over him - he hadn't even heard her walk up to the table, which was always rare for him. She had changed out of her club outfit into only slightly more street-savvy clothes - sneakers, blue jeans, leopard print tube-top, and a leather jacket. Her old clothes were stuffed into a backpack she had slung over her shoulder; her hair was held back with a kerchief tied behind her, and a pair of jet-black sunglasses sat lightly on top of her head.  
"Okay," Logan replied swiftly standing up and pushing his chair in. As Brandy headed towards the door he gave the club one last look over - mainly due to habit for checking for people that might tail him.   
As soon as they get outside Brandy tucked the tips of her ears under her kerchief and put her sunglasses over her eyes. She looked around checking for unwelcome followers and then took off down the deserted street with Logan right on her tail.  
"Don't you have trouble seein' with those sunglasses on," asked Logan as he caught up with Brandy.  
"No, I can see just fine. Besides, the last thing I need is some idiot turnin' me in as a freakin' mutie...something tells me violet eyes that glow in the dark doesn't exactly register normal among most normal human beings," Brandy replied angrily.   
"Very true. So, have you always had yer claws?"  
"Don't think so."  
"Whaddya mean you don't think so? How long have you had yer claws for, then?"  
Brandy was getting bothered that this man, who had said nothing about himself, was asking her all these questions. But she was even more angered by the fact that she couldn't answer any of the questions he asked. She decided to avoid the inquiry and turn the tables on him, "I'm not answerin' any of your questions until you tell me who the hell you are and what your fascination with me is," she said slightly ticked off as she stopped walking and turned to Logan.  
Logan looked into Brandy's eyes and saw the same pent up anger and confusion that he has carried himself for so many years. It was only now that he realized that she couldn't answer his questions because she didn't remember.  
"My name's Logan," Logan replied, ashamed for badgering Brandy with all those questions, "and the reason I'm so interested in you is because I think we have a lot in common"  
"Yeah, like what," Brandy challenged.  
"Like these," Sssschinnk. Logan slowly let his claws come out, making sure to keep his hands slightly up and his fingers spread apart in order to make himself and his claws as non-threatening as possible.   
  



	3. Connection Achieved

Brandy's eyes widened in amazement, this man was just like her. She too had been searching for her past for years and it seems as though this man just might be the clue she had been hoping for. Brandy decided that if she wanted to discover anything about her past she had to spend as much time with Logan as possible.  
Brandy snapped out of her thoughts, smiled, and cocked her head, "Do you have a place to stay?"  
Schink! Logan retracted his claws and smiled, "No. No, I don't."  
"Would you like to stay at my place?"  
"Do you think yer parents would approve of you bringin' home strange men to spend the night," Logan teased.  
Brandy laughed and began to walk with her back to Logan, "I'm not as young as you think I am," she called back to him.  
Logan caught up to Brandy and they both walked, side by side, about the distance of half a block in silence. Each was lost in there own thoughts about how the other might help them fill in their lost past.  
Logan was the first to speak, "So, how old are you?"  
"I'm about 32 years old."  
"Yeah, right...And I'm about 121/2 years old," Logan laughed out loud.  
"No, I'm serious," Brandy replied adamently.  
"Okay, okay. I believe you." But he didn't, he just figured he'd let it go before Brandy got pissed. Logan didn't want to lose the free room and board she had offered on a count of something like an unbelievable age.  
Brandy knew that Logan was lying, there was no way he believed her. She didn't really mind though, she never expected him to believe that she was actually 32. The truth was, sometimes she didn't even believe that 32 was her real age instead of the twenty years she looked.  
They both walked about another two blocks in silence. Logan looked around at the apartment complexes and dark allies that surrounded him and wondered where, among all these building, Brandy lived. He got his answer soon enough.  
Brandy stopped in front of one of the many brick buildings that ran the complete length of the sidewalk. Brandy turned to Logan and whispered playfully, "This is my place, wanna come up?"  
"Oh yeah," Logan smirked. 


	4. The Attack

Logan shot up, his hear pounding and beads of sweat pouring down his face. He searched the loft for anything that could be considered a threat but found nothing. He turned to his right to see if Brandy was alright, she slept soundly beside him. Everything appeared completely secure, but Logan was unconvinced and decided to investigate further.  
Swiftly and silently Logan launched out of bed and down the stairs. He wiped his head around at the bottom of the stairs scanning the open living area for the enemy, but still nothing. He sighed, partially in relief but mainly in disappointment - he'd been prepared, and kind of hoping for a fight. All he got was a beer.  
Brandy woke up when she felt Logan get out of bed. She heard him creep down the stairs so she knew that he was out of the room; but she still felt as though someone, or something, was close by. She pulled back her ears, straining to hear any movement or breathing. But Brandy got no confirmation...until she felt the soft touch of a furry paw-like hand.  
Logan turned around swiftly, beer still in hand, at the sound of his name. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not. Then he heard it again, it was Brandy sighing his name. Within a minute he had dropped his beer and flown up the stairs. He knew this night had been too good to be true, he had been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Not to mention, his instinct of an enemy presence was never wrong.  
The paw moved Brandy's black and red-orange hair out of her face and gently rubbed her cheek. At first Brandy thought that she should just pop her claws and stab the creature, but then she realized that she would be going into a situation almost completely blind. She figured she should call on Logan for some help, but she had to make sure not to make the enemy suspicious. So Brandy softly sighed Logan's name out loud, hoping he'd hear it; and then again just for good measure.  
"Hold it right there, bub," Logan called from the shadows, "Git yer hands off the lady."  
"And if I don't," the crawled growled.  
Schink! Out popped the claws. The furry creature spun on his heels towards Logan, ready for the attack. Needless to say he was surprised when he felt sharp, cold metal claws enter the sides of his neck. And as the creature reared back in pain Logan recognized the mutant as Sabertooth, the one he had fought with not more than two years ago.  
Sabertooth threw his arms behind him and reached for his attacker. He grabbed Brandy by the back of the neck and pulled her off of him. He lifted her high until they were face to face. He cocked his head to one side and growled in curiosity, as he looked her over. He had no idea what to make of this pretty, young creature that had just so viciously attacked him.  
"What the hell are you lookin' at," Brandy questioned threateningly. Sabertooth's eyes widened in surprise at how fearless the woman seemed. Brandy didn't wait for the man's surprise to turn into anger so she seized the moment and drove one of her clawed fists into his side.  
Logan just stood there in shock; he had not expected Brandy to attack. He was amazed that she could fight so well and ruthlessly, it was as though she had been trained in hand to hand combat. Logan hated to admit it but he was a little frightened and turned on by Brandy's ferocity.   
After Brandy dug her claws into Sabertooth's side he was through being curious or confused, he was pissed. He still had Brandy by the neck so he lifted her up and away from him and roared in her faced. He then shook her violently and then tossed her against the side wall like a rag doll where she collapsed in a heap.  
The thud of Brandy's body against the wall snapped Logan out of his trance and into action. He quickly popped his claws and charged Sabertooth from the side while the hairy creature was still looking over at Brandy's. Sabertooth was therefore caught off guard and fell on his face with Logan landing on top of him with his claws dug into Sabertooth's back.  
The two men took turns clawing and punching each other. They tore around the room breaking just about everything in the upper part of the loft until they both almost collapsed in exhaustion on opposing sides of the room.  
Logan got up first, but he stayed in a crouching position as he moved towards the seemingly unconscious Sabertooth. Logan smiled at his victory as he stood up, stepped over Sabertooth, and walked towards Brandy's lifeless body. Logan bent over Brandy's body to check for any signs of breathing or movement of any kind through his large T-shirt and her black panties that she was wearing. But before he could get clear reading he felt something clamp down on the back of his neck and lift him off the ground.  
Sabertooth dug his nails further into Logan's throat causing tiny drops of blood to dribble down his neck. Logan thrashed his body about and flailed his legs in surprise and a desperate attempt to breath. Sabertooth didn't bother to continue this form of torturous entertain and instead just threw Logan towards the stairs.  
Logan crashed onto the railing separating the top of the loft from the bottom some seven feet below. Logan lay on the floor at the edge of the platform, semi-conscious, as Sabertooth strolled over to his limp body.  
Sabertooth smirked. "Great girl ya got there. Thanks for the tussle, runt," he sneered as he kicked Logan hard in the stomach. Logan fell off the ledge and landed on the bottom floor with a thud, knocking him full unconscious.  



	5. Home At Last

Brandy's lifeless body lay flat on the steel examining table. Logan, Jean, Scott, and Charles Xavier crowded around Brandy waiting for her to awake.  
"Only you could arrive here after two years with a severely beaten half-naked girl without anyone even questioning you," Scott chuckled. He was hoping to lighten the mood a little with his observation, but all he did was heighten Logan's feeling of upset, fear, guilt, and anger.  
"Look, if you want to start somethin' just keep it up, bub," Logan quickly countered, tensing his muscles in preparation for a fight.  
"Stop it, both of you," Jean scolded. "Why don't you two go out in the hall and wait for my word."  
"I'm not leaving until she wakes up and I know she's alright," Logan replied sternly, glancing over at Jean and then back at Scott.   
"She appears to stirring, perhaps she will awake soon," Xavier called to the others.  
Brandy began to move her head from side to side and mumble something under her breath. Logan could tell that she was having a nightmare, a flashback. She started to sweat and tense all the muscles in her body. Logan's shirt was beginning to stick to Brandy's body, darkening with sweat. Logan knew what would be next...   
"I think you should think about restrainin' her," Logan warned Jean. Both Jean and Scott gave Logan a weird look and then turned to Professor Xavier for reassurance.  
Xavier could feel the turmoil building inside of Brandy's mind. It was the same kind of mixture of fear, pain, and hatred that he had once gauged inside of Logan's head. He knew that Logan was right, when Brandy woke up she would attack the first thing she saw. Xavier nodded to Jean to apply the restraints. But Jean had already felt the same turmoil building inside of Brandy and was already applying the two wrist restraints on Brandy.  
Brandy was caught in a nightmarish world of memories that she couldn't understand. There were people in shapeless gowns crawling all over the place; they had masks over their faces and gloves over their hands. They looked like doctors, but Brandy knew that they were something far more sinister.   
Then Brandy saw him, the military uniformed man who had a cruel stare and foreboding eyes - he was always in her dream. He came closer as she lay across the cold metal table, restrained at the wrists and ankles. The closer the man got to Brandy the further down she was lowered into a clear tub of liquid. By the time Brandy was fully submerged in the clear liquid the military man was standing directly over her, and by now Brandy could see the sharp, shiny scalpel in his hand. Then Brandy felt the mind numbing pain as the tub began to turn red and darken with Brandy's blood. Brandy opened her mouth to scream, but all she got was a mouthful of her own blood...  
Brandy screamed as she vaulted forward with her claws already out. She would have pounced directly on Jean, but because she was restrained at the wrists all Brandy managed to do was pull herself up into a sitting position. She was still unsure as to whether or not she was dreaming until she heard the calming voice of Logan calling her name. She was relieved to that it was him standing by her side and not the military man.  
"Brandy, Brandy it's okay," Logan said soothingly, "These are friends, they brought you here for medical attention."   
"I don't need medical attention," Brandy countered stubbornly turning towards Jean and Xavier. She never wanted to feel like she was dependent on anyone, especially strangers.   
The bald man in the wheelchair smiled at her gently and the redheaded woman walked over and undid the wrist restraints. "Thanks," Brandy said softly. The redhead smiled at her in appreciation.  
"Brandy, my name is Professor Charles Xavier, this is Doctor Jean Grey, and Scott Summers. We are aware that you do not require medical attention, but Logan was concerned for your health and just wanted to be sure."  
Brandy smiled wide showing her sharp canine teeth. "Oh," was all she said as looked up at Logan. Honestly she was a little surprised that he'd actually cared, but she was decidedly pleased that he had.  
"However," Xavier continued, "I would like to extend you an offer to stay here with us. I wish to catch up with Logan and I would thoroughly enjoy getting to know you better. Logan had mentioned that you two seemed to have a lot in common, maybe even more than you both realize."  
"Um...I guess I could stay for a little while," Brandy responded, "Sure, what do I have to lose?"   
The truth was Brandy had nothing to lose. Except maybe her job, and she always got by before. Something told Brandy that this Professor Xavier would make losing her job worth it. She sensed that he may be able to help her discover her past and figure out why she felt so deeply connected to Logan. Brandy's gut told her that she was making the right choice and that these individuals were good people, her instincts were never wrong.  



End file.
